The Emptiness Between – Eliška Kováčiková and Zahra Zavareh. 18–20 August 2023

The Emptiness Between
Eliška Kováčiková and Zahra Zavareh
18–20 August 2023

Location: Bagarmossens Folkets Hus, Lillåvägen 44, 128 45 Bagarmossen
Vernissage: Friday 18 August, 17.00–21.00
Artist talk: Sunday 20 August, 14.00
(the talk will be in English)

Opening hours: Saturday–Sunday, 10.00–15.00

FACEBOOK EVENT

‘The Emptiness Between’ features two visual artists, Eliška Kováčiková and Zahra Zavareh. This exhibition marks a special moment for the two artists as it is the first occasion when they exhibit together. Although the artists’ practices differ in their forms of expression, both of them are deeply interested in exploring abstract concepts, metaphors, and dualities.

Even when observing the two lines of presented works and their variety of mediums individually, one still notices a subtle common ground between the practices. Namely, the method of how the audience is consciously or unconsciously invited to fill in the dots and form their own lines or narratives to reveal the unseen connections, stories, and forms through their imagery journey.

This delicate common point has served as inspiration and a conceptual starting point for the discussion visualised in this exhibition. The title ‘The Emptiness Between’ has a multifaceted meaning within this context. The word ‘emptiness’ is used to highlight the invisible and immaterial terrain in the artists’ works which are left for the audience to fill with their thoughts and emotions. Thus, ‘emptiness’ is not used here with a negative connotation, nor does it stand for something meaningless or a hiatus. It reflects openness, possibilities, a chance to add, contribute, re-learn, and feel that all have a place to be. It also suggests the existence of untold stories, invisible connections, or even physical spaces that are seemingly unfilled.

The other word in the title, ‘between’, embraces the common ground of the artists, a realm that has been shaped by both of them for this exhibition. It is also used to express the presence of a bond, both metaphorically and literally.

As Zahra Zavareh stated about her two-screen video installation: “It explores the concept of a ‘young soul’ and an ‘old body,’ evoking a sense of existential tension and incongruity. The piece offers a poetic gaze into a perception of the world and the dissonance and harmony between an individual’s inner experience of themselves and the physical aging of their body. It also presents a poetic reflection on the practical and habitual aspects of touch and its utilitarian nature.”

While Zavareh focuses her gaze on the human body, Eliška Kováčiková’s mixed media installation “investigates the elements of post-industrial landscapes, abandoned sites with traces of human presence, and locations where the artificial elements are taken over by nature. Environments as such can be empty and crowded simultaneously. They radiate a specific energy, like a ghost pulsation remaining on the site, waiting to be witnessed by its observer. The work is inspired by this energy and through repetition of different techniques and mediums creates an abstract composition, an echo of these extraordinary territories.”

The way in which these works are displayed allows us to explore them separately, but also as related entities. One of the artists opens a poetic and dual world where the beauty and sublime existence of the human body plays the main role. The other invites us into a more toned, powerful, even harsh place, where the human absence leads to new energies and synergies. Although expressed in different artistic languages, both artworks reveal an untold story that belongs to the realm of the in-between, and at the same time welcome our imagination to contemplate together.

Edit Fándly, curator

Eliška Kováčiková is a Slovakian, Sweden-based visual artist, primarily dealing with the theme of space analysis, aiming to scrutinise and unfold its layers in various ways to unexpected visions. She holds a BA in Printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. She took part in several study programs in Finland, Lithuania, Russia, and at the Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden. Her work has been featured in solo- and group exhibitions in Sweden and abroad. Her artistic practice encompasses printmaking, drawing, sculpture, and large-scale site-specific installations with a focus on experimental approaches, spatial examinations, and cross-media practices.

Zahra Zavareh is a visual artist from Tehran, Iran, based in Stockholm. She aims to challenge the observer’s traditionally passive role and to melt the boundaries between the viewer, the work, and the context. Her way of expressing herself is constantly in flux. Zahra investigates the different ways of storytelling via objects, sculptures, video art, and Installations – to create a narrative and invite visitors to interact with the work on different levels.